Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction

Cynthia Freeland

Description

About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, and Literary Theory to History. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given topic. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how it has developed and influenced society. Whatever the area of study, whatever the topic that fascinates the reader, the series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.

Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction

Cynthia Freeland

Author Information

Cynthia A. Freeland is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Houston. She has published on topics in the philosophy of art and film, ancient Greek philosophy, and feminist theory. She is also author of The Naked and the Undead: Evil and the Appeal of Horror (1999) and co-editor of Philosophy and Film (1995).

Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction

Cynthia Freeland

Reading Guide

In today's art world many strange, even shocking things qualify as art. In this Very Short Introduction Cynthia Freeland explains why innovation and controversy are valued in the arts, weaving together philosophy and art theory with many fascinating examples.

What is the best way to understand art from another culture? If you don’t understand the background to a culture, can you still appreciate something from it (such as a basket or totem pole) as a work of art?

If you know that a work of art is by a famous artist and hear that it's worth lots of money, does that make you pay more attention to it? Should it? Why is art sometimes valued so highly as to be almost literally “priceless”? Does this seem right to you?

Why are art museums so popular today? Is it true that they are more about entertainment (eating, shopping, etc.) than about art? What has your own experience of museums been like?

Do you believe that an artist’s gender or sexual preference makes a difference, either for (a) the kind of art they produce or (b) the reactions of an audience? Should it?

How is the cognitive theory of art different from the expression theory? Do you think one view is correct?

If you can view a work of art in great detail on a website—such as some of the works of the Prado that are visible using Google Earth—then would you still want to go to see it in a museum, where the crowds might keep you from getting very close?

Can you think of examples of artworks created in new media: film, television, video, computer imagery, and gaming? Are such artworks inevitably driven more by commercial aims than by any creative desires of the artists?

Other books by Cynthia Freeland

Co-edited with Thomas Wartenberg, Philosophy and Film (Routledge, 1997)